WARM UP TO WINTER
AND CELEBRATE NATIONAL SOUP MONTH WITH STEW LEONARD’S GOURMET SOUPS |
| NORWALK, Conn., January 13, 2003
– No other food seems to bring more comfort and be able to cut through
the chill of winter better than a steaming bowl of soup. In fact, soup even
has its own commemorative month with January being designated ‘National
Soup Month.’ |
| Freshly prepared soup tops canned when it
comes to taste, but often people don’t have time to make it themselves.
That’s why Stew Leonard’s offers more than 15 different varieties
of gourmet soups that are prepared fresh daily – and soup has never
been better for you. |
 Soup
is convenient and economical, and studies have supported that broth-based
soups can help relieve chest congestion with a cold. With people starting
their New Year’s resolution to eat healthier, soup is a flavorful
way to not only add vegetables and fiber to the diet, but it can also help
cut calories eaten at a meal. A study published in 1999 in the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that having a bowl of soup before a
meal decreases appetite and reduces calorie intake by an average of 100
calories. The researchers hypothesized that drinking just water before a
meal does not help control hunger, but when water is incorporated into foods,
such as soup, it helps satisfy hunger with fewer calories. |
| A hearty bean-based or creamy soup –
such as Stew Leonard’s Four-Bean Vegetarian Chili or Lobster Bisque
– combined with a green salad and a piece of crusty French bread makes
a perfect winter lunch or dinner. |
| “Our most popular soup is Stew Leonard’s
Award-Winning New England Clam Chowder. With so many of our customers looking
to eat healthier, Stew, Jr. asked me to create a version that was lower
in fat and calories that didn’t compromise taste,” said Stew
Leonard’s Executive Chef, George Llorens. “For Stew Leonard’s
Low Fat New England Clam Chowder, I pureed rice with fat free half &
half. The result – a great tasting chowder but with two-thirds fewer
calories (100 per serving) and less than two grams of fat. It’s now
also one of our best selling soups.” |
| Stew Leonard’s soups are available
in quarts from $4.49 to $4.99, as well as ready-to-serve for take-out. The
soups are made daily with more than 30 varieties -- 15 of which are available
year-round, with another 15 that are added depending on the season and availability
of fresh ingredients. There are a number of low calorie and low fat soups
for health-conscious consumers, including Stew Leonard’s “Healthy
Soup” made with fresh garden vegetables that is only 30 calories per
serving. |
| Stew Leonard’s, a family owned food
store founded in 1969, has received world-wide acclaim for its innovative
marketing and currently has three locations -- Norwalk and Danbury, Connecticut
and Yonkers, New York -- with a fourth store planned to open in the summer
of 2004 in Farmingdale, NY. Stew Leonard’s has been dubbed the “Disneyland
of Dairy Stores” by the New York Times for its amusement park atmosphere,
combined with its farm fresh foods and outstanding customer service. Stew
Leonard’s was recently recognized as one of the “100 Best Companies
to Work For in America” by FORTUNE magazine for the second consecutive
year in a row. |
